If a NCAA Division I university men’s and women’s team upset the number 1 seed in their region on back-to-back days, that team would be heralded from coast to coast. They would make appearances on television shows, and would be the Cinderellas of all time. But in other divisions, there is silence.
The Bulldogs of Minnesota Duluth, a school known more for its hockey prowess (3 national titles in men’s ice hockey, the most recent in 2019) than its success on the hardwood, managed to pull of that feat in the NCAA Division II basketball tournaments. Both teams made the tournament as 8 seeds in an eight-team regional and were matched against the #1 seed in the region.
On March 13, the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs women’s basketball faced a powerful 1 seed in the Minnesota State (Mankato) Mavericks. This was a familiar foe for the Bulldogs. Minnesota State was ranked #5 nationally and had a championship pedigree, having won a national championship in 2024. Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State are members of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) and had faced off once earlier in the season, with Minnesota State prevailing 81-78. The revenge minded Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs upset their rivals at Mankato, 72-63, to advance to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament.
Not to be outdone, just over 24 hours later, the men’s team would pull off an even more shocking upset. The men’s basketball team entered the NCAA tournament with a 21-11 record and were pitted against the host and top seed Washburn Ichabods (yes, that is their actual nickname), The Ichabods were 31-1, ranked third in the NABC coaches poll and first in the Massey Ratings. The Bulldogs had just won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference to get the automatic bid. No one would have expected them to defeat the #3 team in the country. Nevertheless the Bulldogs pulled a stunning 64-62 win over Washburn. Minnesota Duluth used smothering defense to hold the high-scoring Ichabods, who averaged 86.3 points per game, to a season low 62 points.
It was quite an accomplishment for one school over two days, but the Bulldogs were not finished yet. The women’s basketball team continued their hot streak by defeating the Central Missouri Jennies, 81-48, in a dominant performance to advance to the third round of the NCAA D-II tournament. The men followed suit the next day, defeating conference foe St. Cloud State, 61-55. The women advanced to the Elite Eight the following day, knocking off another conference foe, the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears, by a 94-87 score. The men’s team was unable to complete the rare double, going down to defeat by second-seeded Oklahoma Baptist in a close fought game, 80-76. Both teams from Minnesota Duluth pulled amazing feats to upset the top seeds on back-to-back nights.